Spectrofluorimetric characterization and study for the determination of rare earth carbonate complexes

Some rare earths exhibit fluorescence in acid solution (HC1, H2SO4 or HC104) when irradiated with ultraviolet radiation; however, analytical application of this property has not been proposed due to the lack of sensitivity resulted from the weakness of the fluorescence transitions. The rare earths are soluble in alkali carbonate solutions, forming anionic carbonate complexes (TR(CO3) sup(n-) sub(x)); some of them have stronger absorption bands than those obtained in acid media. Using this property, the characterization and determination of the six rare earths which fluoresce in carbonate solution has been studied. The excitation and emission wavelengths are (in nm): Sm (406, 596); Eu (280,612); Gd (272,312); Tb (240,542); Dy (350, 576) and Tm (360, 450). Although Ce-III is highly fluorescent in acid media, when in carbonate solution it is easily oxidized to Ce-IV which does not fluoresce neither in acid nor in carbonate solutions. The other rare earths, although soluble in carbonate solution, do not fluoresce in this medium. A comparison is made, between the fluorescence of the fluorescing lanthanides, in acid and carbonate media. The precision and accuracy of this method, the detection limit of all rare earths studied and the mutual interference of some of them is also discussed. The method will be applied to the analytical control of the separation and purification of individual rare earths, now under development. (Author)